Freetail Brewing Co. is building a new brewery south of downtown to support off-premises… more

Lyndsey Johnson

Oyster.com contributor Kristina Fazzalaro touts the top seven places in the U.S. to visit for beer. The list includes a number of obvious choices — Portland, Denver, San Diego and Boston.

Austin also made the cut. That’s because the Capital City is a hip choice, and it does have a number of craft beer establishments.

But San Antonio is gaining ground. Over a relatively short period of time, several craft beer breweries and drinking joints have set up shop in the city.

Busted Sandal Brewing Co. is among the newcomers, joining a market that is also home to Branchline Brewing, 5 Stones Artisan Brewery and Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling.

Two San Antonio brewpubs are expanding operations.

Freetail Brewing Co. is constructing a new brewery south of downtown that will support sales of its beers to off-premise accounts.

Meanwhile, Blue Star Brewing Co., located in San Antonio’s Southtown arts district, is now marketing its beers at several retail establishments.

Southtown is also home to several hangouts that cater to craft beer fans, including The Friendly Spot and Stella Public House.

Big Hops Growler Station has opened three craft beer bars in the city, which sell San Antonio beers.

The Flying Saucer has also added a number of local taps to its extensive craft beer lineup, including beers from BS Brewing in nearby Seguin.

Craft brewers outside of San Antonio have taken note of the spike in activity here.

Karbach Brewing, which is based in Houston, decided to tap into the momentum, selecting San Antonio as its first distribution point outside of the Bayou City area. That move has proven to be quite successful.

“It’s a growing craft-beer community,” says Karbach’s Blake Robinson about the decision to bring roughly a half-dozen beers to San Antonio. “It’s a great beer city.”

Ranger Creek co-founder Mark McDavid says San Antonio is developing an eclectic mix of craft beer players who are attracting attention outside of Texas. He says that “local flavor,” some of which can be found in revitalized areas such as the old Pearl Brewery site, is setting San Antonio apart from Austin and other cities.